Minutes Matter
Minutes matter. They can make the difference between life and death. You should get to the hospital immediately if you experience any of the symptoms of a heart attack or a stroke. There are numerous symptoms that can indicate you are having a medical emergency and need to seek care fast.
Learn more about a few people from Northwest Arkansas who sought help quickly and found life-saving care at Northwest Health.
A trip to see family in Northwest Arkansas saved this Air Force Veteran's life. That’s what Thomas Grooman of Nebraska City will tell you. Because he was here when he experienced a heart attack that led to cardiogenic shock, cardiologist Dr. Michael Green was able to use the newest protocols and world's smallest heart pump to save his life. Cardiogenic shock is a complication that occurs less than 10% of the time, but when it does, only about 30% of those patients will survive. The pilot study in which Northwest Medical Center - Springdale participated helped to demonstrate an improvement in survival rates from around 30% to 76%. Grooman and his family are so thankful he's one of the survivors that he now comes back to NW Arkansas just to see Dr. Green. Read his story here.
Lance Johnson is making time to use his recent heart attack experience to help others, even as he operates a busy Springdale business and runs for a second term on the Washington County Quorum Court. Thanks to prompt recognition of his heart attack symptoms – and fast action – it looks like he’s going to be around a lot longer for his family and community. His wife Nancy explains how it happened and why you should never ignore pain in the upper body. Read about his experience here and learn more about why minutes matter.
Meet Stephanie Parsley, a mom of three who had always maintained a healthy weight, exercised and eaten healthy. She was shocked to experience two heart attacks within weeks of giving birth to her third child. Learn about her experience here.
Meet Scott Cranford, a father of eight and division chief for the City of Bella Vista Fire Department. He plays a vital role in training and supervising first responders whose job it is to save lives. But it was he himself in need of rescue when he had a major heart attack at work. Read Scott Cranford's story.
Meet “Coach” Byron Boudreaux who is a competitor, having played college sports and coached college athletes for more than 20 years. But it took all he had – plus the skills of a great team at Northwest Medical Center-Springdale – to beat a condition that kills many people who have it. Learn more about his experience with an aortic aneurysm here.
Meet Kennedy Allison who experienced cardiac arrest at age 14 while at school. Thanks to the fast action of her teacher, a school nurse and a coach, Kennedy’s life was saved and she has no damage from her sudden cardiac arrest. Read about her experience here.